


Soured

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 09:24:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11666280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Hisame brings Shigure his latest creation to try.(For FE Rarepair Week 2017, prompt: sweet)





	Soured

That pleasant gazebo was beautiful regardless of the weather and season, Shigure had found. This was the first time he’d seen in the fall, their first outside the outrealms. The ground was wet and muddy, but blanketed by leaves in vibrant colors and even the roof of their little place was dyed their hue. It was a tad too chilly for his liking, but pleasant nonetheless. Content, he keeps an eye out for his friend.

And it doesn’t take long. Somehow, instinctually, they both kept meeting here. Always in the afternoon, but that was the only constant. Very rarely did they ever have time to decide a day, and yet they always somehow meet. Only once or twice had Shigure sat there and ended up alone by nightfall.

They should stay until it’s night, one of these days, he thinks.

“Shigure!”

Often times, Hisame would speed up in his steps when Shigure was here first. But this time, he keeps a slow and lazy pace, something he often didn’t see. Hooked on Hisame’s arm is a small wicker basket, its contents covered with a patchy rag.

“Good day, Hisame.” His lips curl into a smile, not that it took anything more than Hisame’s mere presence to do so. “I see you’ve brought another gift?”

“You’ve caught me red-handed.” Hisame replies, though he made no move to hide it.

The basket is placed gently on the table, and Shigure hears the faint sound of glass containers clinking together. Nothing new, as Hisame brought his homemade pickles about every visit. But never had he covered them. He’s excited to see what’s under, and yet somehow, mildly hesitant.

What was this bad feeling?

“Recently, I’ve found some inspiration.” Hisame starts, untying the knots that kept the rag to the basket handle. “I’ve noticed that many people don’t like pickles due to their sourness, so I wondered...What if I made them sweet?”

Sweet pickles? It...from thought alone, doesn’t sound appealing. The salty, tart fluid of the vegetable with sugar? He couldn’t imagine it possibly working…

But Hisame pulls the container out and smiles so confidently. Shigure wasn’t a particular fan of pickles until he came along, and he’d found an appreciation for them as long as they came only from Hisame. His skill was incredible...If anyone could make it work, it would be him, right?

A small jar is placed between them, Hisame carefully turning and screwing off the lid. Shigure takes this moment to notice that they’re…red. Red pickles. Strange.

“I haven’t tried them myself, actually.” His smile goes gentle, gaze soft towards his creation. Shigure momentarily forgets his disgust and hesitation, finding it amusing how he looks to the food like a lover. “It’s only a small batch, I didn’t want to waste too many veggies in case this didn’t work.”

In the meantime, Shigure distracts himself by pouring them both a cup of tea. It’s gone a little warm, but should taste fine. He can smell the second the jar is opened, the familiar taste of pickles mixed with something more foul.

Foul wasn’t the right word, actually. The smell was sweet. Sickeningly sweet. Shigure had no aversion to candy or pastries or anything of the sort, but finds his stomach doing flips inside his torso at the scent of it.

Hisame, however, is undeterred. With a small lick of his lips, he takes a cautious bite off- very small cucumbers, he assumes -and chews. Then breaks into a much more excited grin, hand flying out to grasp the other’s sleeve. “Shigure! They taste good!”

“Really?” Shigure still has his doubts, but Hisame’s nails are against his skin and the pride is so apparent on his voice that he decides it’s well worth the risk. He takes one himself, careful to tip his hand in a way so the juice doesn’t drip down his sleeve. The smell is even worse up close, but he takes a bite regardless.

It was absolutely disgusting.

Perhaps it was an exaggeration, because Shigure can tell they were gross in a way that it simply wasn’t his tastes, that regardless someone out there would like this. Namely Hisame. But the taste and smell combined is so nauseating that he finds it borderline agonizing to chew. He considers swallowing it as it is, but wouldn’t want to risk choking, and his throat muscles are tightening and refusing to accept it. Somehow, he gets it down, and washes his mouth with a rather large ‘sip’ of tea.

To be fair, he handled it with more poise than he thought he could. The only visible reaction was a tremor as it hit his tongue, but Hisame didn’t notice.

“How are they?”

“Splendid as always.” Shigure replies, surprised to find his voice hoarse. Hisame gives a concerned look and he covers it up with a light hit to his chest. “I apologize, frog in my throat.”

It may as well have been a frog, the way it tasted.

“They’re wonderful, but I think I find your normal pickles much better. In my personal opinion.” He smiles, and Hisame chuckles.

“Well, luckily I brought those too. I can finish off this jar myself. Though…” His expression turns thoughtful as he passes it Shigure’s way. “If you don’t like it, something must be off...I’ll have to make some adjustments in the future. If you’d be willingly to taste test them for me, that is.”

“Sounds like a plan.” If anyone could rescue a disaster of a dish like this, he supposed it’d be Hisame. Even after...that, he doesn’t lose faith in his friend’s pickling ability.

“And in the meantime...I can try some other things, as well.” He eats another, Shigure almost gags. “...I’ll need a test taster, you know.”

“I’d be honored.” And even if what he just experienced was awful, he is. Because if he can help Hisame figure out something good, or just make this person he cared about so much happy, he would do it. It was only a minor sacrifice, after all.

“I’m more grateful than you know.” Finally, Hisame takes a sip of his own tea. And blinks, staring into the cup. “...Hey, think I could mend pickle juice into tea?”

Shigure almost chokes.


End file.
